Last week we enjoyed a visit from Gaston County Master Gardeners.  One of the women is a potter, and she made these adorable birdhouses for us.  One of them even has a bunny on it!  What a delightful gift for our birds and for MapleWalk!!  

When you plant a bunny, make sure your container is large enough to comfortably accommodate a full grown rabbit!

 (This is "Parsley," our indoor bunny.  She has taken over this planter and ate the plant that was in it, so it's hers now!)

When I raise our bedroom shade, I get to enjoy this view of our backyard and woodland garden out of our bedroom window.  What a nice way to begin the day.

 

Rhododendron 'Radiance' 
The Southgate series was bred by Dr. John T. Thornton of Louisiana.  This series are heat tolerant and thrive in the deep south.  
It is still March and we have rhododendron beginning to bloom and peonies budded up.  I am wondering if we are going to skip spring and go right into summer.  Oh my!

 

911 for bird feeders!!!  These feeders are on their way to being repaired ... squirrel damage ... GRRR!!!

 

 

This is another species tulip that is perennializing for me, 
Tulip clusiana 'Lady Jane'

 

 

These species tulips have been successful in perennializing for me.  

Tulipa clusiana 'Cynthia' is like getting two tulips in one as they open to yellow, but will close in late afternoon/early evening to soft red outer petals.  They are underplanted with Mazus reptans 'Alba.'

 

 Ranunculus ficaria 'Brazen Hussy' struts her stuff until she goes dormant in May.  She will spread aggressively so allow her a place to run as she does under my ostrich ferns.

 

This is our first year with our weeping rebud
Cercis canadensis 'Vanilla Twist'

What do gardeners do on a rainy day?  How about a jigsaw puzzle!  Tom and I do a couple of 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles during the winter.  We enjoy working on them together; however, we usually have a couple of helpers (Maple and Kiwi) who stand await for any pieces which fall on the floor ... and they usually do, so we never have a puzzle which is 100% complete.  

I realize that moles are not friends to gardeners, but this little guy was just as cute as could be!  Somehow, he made his way to our patio.  Tom found him and alerted me.   Unbeknownst to Tom, I took the little fellow to our upper garden and let him go ... I know, I know!

 

Another combination I like:  
Acorus gramineus 'Minimus Aureus' with 
Ipheion uniforum

This early spring combination is along out driveway in our front yard.  It is Crocus flavus 'Golden Yellow' and Vinca minor 'Ralph Shugert.'  This is a variegated vinca minor with a thin white edging on the leaves, but after many years in this location, it is beginning to revert.
I intend to just let it go and as long as it continues to bloom, I'll be happy.

 

I had the most thrilling surprise in our backyard yesterday morning ... a pair (male and female) of Baltimore Orioles!!  The bright flaming-orange male couldn't be missed!  The female was fascinated  by digging in a pot of yarrow on our patio ... maybe looking for insects?  In hopes of keeping them around, that afternoon I went to the grocery store to buy a jar of grape jelly to put in our jelly feeder.  Hope it works!

Our birds know that spring is in the air because already we have a pair of Brown-Headed Nuthatches (aka Nate and Nan) nesting in a bluebird box in our backyard.  And Bert and Bonnie (our bluebirds) have begun building in another nesting box in the backyard.  

Our birds definitely keep us entertained!